Mohammad Barzegar

The Pasteur Institute of Iran sustained considerable damage from a series of airstrikes in late March, 2026.1 This historically important medical institution, founded 106 years ago, has played a key role in combating various human pathogens in the region and has responded to numerous epidemics and pandemics in its history.

ABSTRACT Introduction The risk of recurrent ischemic strokes in young to middle-aged patients who have experienced a recent cryptogenic ischemic stroke is reduced by percutaneous closure of a patent foramen ovale (PFO) in comparison to medical therapy alone. We aimed to review the studies on the cost-effectiveness of percutaneous closure of a PFO in comparison to medical therapy in the prevention of cryptogenic strokes in patients with a PFO.

Abstract Accurate and early differentiation between bacterial and nonbacterial pharyngitis is crucial for optimizing treatment and minimizing unnecessary antibiotic use. The similar clinical presentation of sore throat in bacterial and nonbacterial infections poses significant diagnostic challenges, even for experienced clinicians. To address this, we developed a publicly available dataset consisting of high-resolution throat images captured using smartphone cameras.